My Baby

Joe woke up from his nap today rather groggy. I don't think his nap was quite long enough. He was cranky, even when I asked him if he wanted a popsicle he whined "no" (I know, it's the middle of winter, but this kid loves popsicles, and asks for them all the time, even when we have just been out in the cold). So, I asked him if he wanted to rock with me, and he did. I scooped him up, he wrapped his arms around me, and we cuddled in the rocking chair. As I felt how small he was in my arms I was happy; happy that, although he is growing like crazy, and looks and acts more like a kid every day, he is still my baby.

(Joe playing with some of our Christmas decorations)

Too Quiet

In my short couple of years being a mom I feel like I have learned a lot. One of the things I have learned is that quiet is not always a good thing, and sometimes can mean the exact opposite.

The other day Joe was a little on the grouchy side. I sent him downstairs to play while I was in the kitchen. I can hear him pretty well from our kitchen. I was so impressed with how well he was playing, especially because he hadn't been very easy to please that day, and then I realized that it was too quiet. So I came downstair to find this:

and Joe with a green sharpie in hand. There was also sharpie on our wall and Joe was in the process of coloring one of his trucks.

So I googled how to remove permanent marker from furniture and was happy to see people had already experimented with various methods of removal (what did people do before google?). So I tried overwriting on the sharpie with a dry erase marker. It worked! It may have also removed a little of the finish, but I was happy with the minimal damage it left.

My Mom

“God could not be everywhere, and so He gave us mothers.”

Happy Mother's Day Mama! I don't know how I got to be raised by Wonderwoman, but I sure am lucky. I love you.

Success!

Today I had my first successful outing just the two boys and me. I was determined we were going out today (after all it was 25 degrees at 10:30am, you've got to cease the moment). Also, Joe had already been in timeout four times this morning. His behavior was just increasing my desire to get out of the house. But, I wasn't going to go out without taking a shower. So I had Joe take a bath while I took a shower and William was asleep. I got Joe and myself dressed. Then I changed the baby and got him dressed and bundled up, complete with shoes and a hat. Then I loaded him up in the car seat and stuck the car seat in the stroller. Joe flipped out. Apparently he doesn't like the idea of the baby in his stroller.

My original plan was to push the baby and let Joe walk around outside. Obviously that wasn't going to fly so I got the baby carrier, took the baby out of the stroller and car seat, put him in the carrier and strapped the carrier to me. In the meantime Joe manages to spill water all over his pants. So we changed his pants and put on his socks and shoes and coat, and he climbed into the stroller. I bundled up me and the baby. I decided since we were out and Joe was contained, we might as well walk to the botanical gardens that are practically next door. We make it down the hill and the gate for walkers is frozen shut! Now, I wouldn't mind going through the car entrance except it has a cattle grate which makes it difficult to cross with a stroller. But, I was also determined we would make it to our destination so I start to cross with the stroller. It was going slowly, with much difficulty. Thankfully, a sweet couple (not old, but not exactly young and spry either) pull over and help me carry the stroller over the grate. It wasn't exactly easy for them to navigate the grate. And I was pretty embarrassed.

Finally, we make it to the gardens. The indoor exhibit was beautiful and we headed home. The gate was still frozen shut, but the gate-keeper, or whatever the guys job is who sits in his truck next to the entrance all the time, kindly helped me carry the stroller back over the grate and we made it home.

So, it might not have been far, but I felt like it was a pretty big accomplishment. I might actually be able to do this whole mom of two thing...

Bathtime

I really think every age up to this point has been a lot of fun. Each for different reasons, but let me tell you, Joe is a blast right now. Even on his grumpy/tantrum days (which lucky for us are few) he always has me laughing or smiling at some point in the day. How can you not be happy with this kid around?

Showing off his cute, crooked smile.

Joe has always liked taking a bath, but the other night he was loving it!

I am so lucky to be this kids mom.

Losing brain cells...

This morning I put the aluminum foil away.

This afternoon I fed Joe. Then I put the cheese away, right next to the aluminum foil, in the fridge.

JELLO

What I was thinking when I gave Joe Jello (regular, not jigglers) to eat one day:

• He will love it
• It will keep him entertained so I can finish dinner
  

What I was not thinking when I gave Joe Jello one day:

• It will melt in his fingers before it even gets to his mouth (it also melted on his shorts, I don't know if you can tell from the picture)
  
• It will stain everything red
• Big mess, mandatory bath (if click on the pictures you can see the mess much better :))
  

I was right though. I did finish making dinner uninterrupted. And if you can't tell from the picture, Joe loved it!

It's Going to be a Long Day

It's 10:30 a.m. and Joseph is already on outfit number three...